Trewithen is a fine early Georgian squire's house set in a splendid woodland garden. The name Trewithen means 'house of the trees'.
The house was created by three generations of the Hawkins family. Philip Hawkins, the younger son of a rich lawyer and MP, bought the estate in the early 18th century.
He commissioned the architect Thomas Edwards of Greenwich to extend and remodel the five bay brick house. The work on the house continued after the death of Philip Hawkins in 1738 and in 1763 - 64 his nephew, Thomas, engaged the renowned London architect, Sir Robert Taylor, to remodel some of the interior.
Thomas Hawkins also created the present forecourt and landscaped the grounds. He died after being inoculated for smallpox in 1766.
The estate passed to his son Christopher, who carried out some minor internal alterations in the late-18th and early-19th centuries but since then there have been few structural changes to the house.
In 1904 Trewithen was inherited by George Johnstone after the male line of the Hawkins family had died out. The present owner is his grandson.
The original five-bay house purchased by Philip Hawkins was extended by two bays on either side and the north side (now the entrance front) was covered with plaster. The south facade, constructed from local grey Pentewan stone, was probably begun in 1738, the year Philip Hawkins died. This dignified facade looks out over a lawn encircled by trees planted by George Johnstone.
The approach to the house is through an open courtyard with detached service blocks, dating from the 1750s, on either side. Although the exterior of Trewithen is modest the interiors were influenced by London sophistication. The visitor views the main reception rooms which are all located on the ground floor.
The Library is mostly late-18th century whilst the Oak Room has dark panelling from the 1720s. Over the chimneypiece here is an idealised early-18th century landscape painting.
The Drawing Room, with a canted bay window, has Palladian style woodwork dating from 1758. The late-18th century Staircase Hall is lit from above by a glazed dome.
The Dining Room on the south front was created by Sir Robert Taylor in the 1760s on the site of the former entrance hall. The lavish decoration in this room includes a Rococo-style fireplace and fireplace wall with floral garlands in stucco. Over the fireplace is an oval portrait of Philip Hawkins, founder of the family fortunes.
The house has some excellent pieces of 18th and early-19th century furniture and there is a splendid collection of blue-and-white porcelain. Paintings include works by foreign artists such as Hondecoeter and Van de Velde.
Trewithen's greatest collection, however, is the 18th century British portraits. There are works by Allan Ramsay John Opie and James Northcote but the most important are by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who was born at Plympton, near Plymouth.
The gardens with their superb collection of exotic trees and shrubs were largely created by George Johnstone in the early 20th century.
The 30 acre garden is internationally famous. There are fine beech trees which give shelter and background shape to the garden.
Features include a lawn bordered by banks of flowering shrubs, island beds with dwarf conifers and heathers, a wisteria-clad pergola, beds of mixed shrubs and roses and rare climbers.
2008 1 Mar-30 Sept: 10:00-16:30 Mon-Sat Sun (Mar-May only)
Tel: 01726 883647 Trewithen Website
